I have done (or am currently doing) as you say. I have almost the entire computer apart, most of my problem was that I had some cables below the dirve cage (where I messed up the screws) that I stupidly fliped up and over the main branch of cables from the PSU to get them out of the way for my removal of the drives. Needless to say I didn't check to see if there were any metal shards on those cables before doing so. SO... I must consider the entire case contaminated, except for the 5.25 bays, which I will run a vacum over just in case.

Here is what I am doing right now:
1.)Computer is almost completely apart, in these pieces:
>mobo, case, and 5.25 devices
>PSU
>RAM
>Vid card
2.)I am both blowing out and vacuming (canister vac that I keep at least 3 fet away from components) all components
3.)doing a cursory visual inspeaction of all components (kinda tough to do with the PSU, mobo, and CPU heatsink)

Is that enough? Am I missing anything? Also, what about my questions in my previous post?

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AGP won\'t fit in PCI-E... unless you use a really good hammer. ~Trotter

Alright, almost got it all together again, I have just one more really pressing issue. Obviosly, there is a large ( ~ 1.5cm) gap between the HSF and the mobo (otherwise we would have issues ). That area is very difficult to get at with a vacum or compressed air. Due to the orientation of the power cable I flipped over my mobo tray (this cable have been sitting undeneath the HDDs, in an area where I found metal shavings (particles ranging from <1mm by 7mm to 1.5mm square) and I fear some may have clung to the cable and fallen off onto my mobo or heatsink. In addition to my moving the computer several times like this (without realizing the threat), when I blew out the HSF, I directed the blast of canned air toward the mobo. I fear that between these two things, there may be some shavings (of the size described previously) behind the heatsink and pussible even wedged under the CPU socket (the area I am talking about it between socket and mobo, not betwwen socket and cpu). I have cleaned off all of my components to my satifaction, save for this. How should I remedy this? Is this a case where it DEFINATLY WILL NOT work at all if there is ANY contaminant within that area? Should I go as far as removing the heatsink? I have no experience with applying AS5 save for watching a friend do it.

Aditional questions IF IS IS recommended (I don't intend to do this unless it is recommended) that I remove the HSF and clean the area that way:
1.)my plan would be to pop the HSF off, wipe off most of the AS5 on the heatsink and rub the rest into it (as recommended by my friend), wipe soem of the AS off my die, but leave most of it, folow Artic Silver's website's instructions for applying new thermal paste (as said before, I will NOT be removing what remains on the CPU die) (they say to put a small rice size ball (does anyone have more exact demensions, becasue I don't have any uncooked rice lying around) in the center of the die and then install the heatsink, relying on pressue to spread it out). Will this be jeapordized by the presence of used thermal good on the die already (air bubbles?)? Is there anything wrong with this plan, because it is the one I will be using (if told to remove the HS) unless told otherwise.

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AGP won\'t fit in PCI-E... unless you use a really good hammer. ~Trotter